


Memories Of A Life Once Lived

by Arcturus_Sinclair



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, First Dates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5689696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcturus_Sinclair/pseuds/Arcturus_Sinclair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the BuckyNat Secret Santa!</p><p>He should have known agreeing to a date with Natasha was a terrible idea. But then again, how could he have known? Natasha was a different calibre of woman, she was a spy through and through. That made her hard to read, even for someone like him who had made a life (though not his own) reading people.</p><p>Natasha takes Bucky on a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories Of A Life Once Lived

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taralkariel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taralkariel/gifts).



    "Where are we going?” This was the third time Bucky had asked that question, and the third time he’d only gotten a smirk. He should have known agreeing to a date with Natasha was a terrible idea. But then again, how could he have known? Natasha was a different calibre of woman, she was a spy through and through. That made her hard to read, even for someone like him who had made a life (though not his own) reading people.

    The other pitfall to this situation; though Natasha would probably consider it a perk; was the fact that he didn’t know where anything was anymore. So he was running this mission ( ~~no, date, not mission, this wasn’t his mission. His mission was over~~.) blind.

    Natasha grinned again, this time almost baring her teeth, as she pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a very expensive restaurant. Stark. That wasn’t to say that Natasha couldn’t afford her own way, but he didn’t think she made very much. He knew what Steve made; he’d left his computer open and Bucky was curious--and that was nowhere near enough to afford a place like this. He watched Natasha as she parked the car and stepped out. Some forgotten part of him remembered that he should have held the door open for her, but the thought faded as fast as it came.

    Natasha noticed his lack of movement and crossed over, opening his door.

    "What, never been to a fancy restaurant before?”

    “Not on a legitimate date,” Bucky retorted. And it was true, all of his dates were with marks. If he was even allowed a cover. Normally it was track and kill. The Winter Soldier wasn’t exactly socialized.

    Natasha’s face flickered, the recognition of what he meant; the pieces falling into place. Much like a ghost the look was gone in a moment and she held out her hand, Bucky taking it in his flesh and blood hand.   

    They walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand, looking to the rest of the world like a couple, perhaps on a first date, perhaps not. But that was exactly what Natasha wanted, one day of normalcy.  

    Bucky, however, could feel the eyes on him. He’d dressed in a suit and tie, per Natasha’s order--er...request. But his metal hand was still exposed, and his face well known now. It didn’t matter that he’d been declared a POW, and absolved of all his crimes. A victim, they claimed him to be. None of that mattered, people knew his face, and that was a feeling he’d yet to become comfortable with.

    Natasha squeezed his hand, almost seeming like she sensed the feelings he had. And honestly, she probably did. She probably went through this when she first joined the Avengers. Beyond this being his first date since he was grabbed, this was the first time he was out without Steve where he wasn’t just slipping through; trying to get what he needed while remaining undetected.   

    The waitress led them to their table, and Bucky slipped ahead; pulling Natasha’s chair out for her. She quirked an eyebrow before settling into her chair.  
  
    “You know, if anyone other than you or Steve had done that, I’d have killed them,” she murmured, her tone more conversational than confrontational.  

    “Oh, I’m aware.” Bucky winked, feeling more like his old self than he had in a long time. Leave it to another Soviet assassin to do what Steve would have killed to be able to. It looked like he still had a weakness for pretty dames. Or Soviets. Well, that was a depressing thought, thankfully their waitress came back and asked for their drink order.  
  
    “A bottle of your finest wine,” Natasha responded. Bucky couldn’t help but speak up once the waitress left their table.  
      
    “Okay, how much did Stark give?” Natasha raised her eyebrows, looking mock shocked.  
      
    “Who says I’m not paying the bill on my own?”  
  
    “I saw Steve’s bank records. SHIELD doesn’t pay enough for this.” Bucky stared at her, unblinking, until she sighed and rolled her eyes.  
      
    “He didn’t, he just said whatever the bill comes to is on him. So I’m just going to screw with him.” Bucky chuckled at her response before glancing at the menu. Thankfully he’d been all over the world; and even The Winter Soldier had to eat. When he was on missions, that is. Feeding him wasn’t high on Hydra’s list. So he did at least recognize the menu.  
      
    Natasha was also gazing down at her menu when he looked at her, her lips pursed in thought. He took the moment to really look her over, noting how beautiful she was.  
      
    “Trying to burn a hole through my head?” Natasha asked, not removing her gaze from the menu.  
     
    “Just admiring your beauty. If I wanted a hole in your head, there are better ways than my gaze.” Apparently this was how the Winter Solider flirted. Death threats and inadvertent rhyming. Natasha would be lying if she said the first part surprised her.  
      
    Unfortunately for their banter, the waitress returned; though that meant good service, at least. They both rattled off orders that neither really listened to. Food was never really a big thing for either of them, so it wasn’t as if they’d commit what they ate on their first date to memory.  
      
    What Bucky was sure he would commit to memory, was the way Natasha looked; bathed in dim lights and the way her dress fit perfectly. Oh dear god, he was turning into one of those romance type novels. (He’d picked one up once while waiting for a mark.)  
     
    Over Natasha Fucking Romanov no less. Well, go big or go home, he supposed.  
      
    Natasha raised her eyebrows at him, again, this time more in amusement.  
  
    “You’re such a talkative date,” she pointed out, teasingly.  
  
    “I spent how many years not talking. You try it sometime.” Bucky smiled though, a slow thing, almost as if he hadn’t had much practice lately. Natasha smiled back.  
  
    “At least you picked up English easier than I did. I still mix things up on occasion. Or slip back into it when I’m mad.”  
  
    “You act like I don’t do those things. Ever wake up from a nightmare shouting in Russian?” Natasha nodded, and just like that, something shifted. They had a mutual understanding, one deeper than anyone else.  
  
     _Do you know what it’s like to be unmade?_  
  
    Bucky and Natasha had an understanding now. They were both the same. They both looked away for a moment, willing the tension to fade. This wasn’t supposed to be a time about their pasts, this was supposed to be what sort of future they could build.  
  
    Dinner passed in a bit of a blur for Bucky, though not in a bad way. They filled the spaces with quiet chatter about anything and everything. It was nice. But soon enough the dinner was over, and Natasha was giving Stark’s name to pay the bill.  
  
    Then Bucky was up, helping Natasha up with a smile. They walked back to the car in silence, Bucky only choosing to break it when they were out of the parking lot.  
  
    “Well, that was a nice first date.” Natasha smirked, glancing over at Bucky.  
  
    “It’s not over yet. Tell me, can you dance?” Bucky chuckled, dinner and dancing. A fitting date for two old souls, he supposed. Though, really, he was just old...  
  
    “I can. Depending on the type, of course,” he added.  
  
    “Ballroom.” Bucky nodded at that. Of course he could do that. It was commonplace to know how when he was growing up. Natasha probably knew that, but wanted to see if he remembered. Which he did, he remembered a lot now that he wasn’t being frozen all the time. But that was another story in and of itself.  
  
    A few minutes of driving she pulled into the parking lot of the ballroom, and this time Bucky got out first, opening the door and offering her his hand. Natasha batted it away this time, smiling. She stood on her own, while Bucky gave her a big, sad eyed look. Jokingly, of course.  
  
    “Way to injure my pride.” Natasha laughed then, taking his hand.  
  
    “Let’s go, soldier boy.” The term almost made Bucky tense, but he quickly dismissed it. He knew she meant no harm by it, and soon enough, it didn’t matter because they were inside on the dance floor.  
  
    He rested his hand gently on her waist, feeling the silk of her dress under his flesh and blood hand. His metal hand...he wasn’t sure what to do with that until Natasha grabbed it. curling her fingers around his.  
  
    “Relax, I wont break.” Bucky nodded, before beginning to move to the beat of the music. One, two, three...one, two, three. Soon enough, he was lost in the music, lost in Natasha’s eyes, lost in a time he thought long gone.  
  
    He spun her around as the song ended, pulling her into a dip. She laughed, delighted.  
  
    “There you go, James. Maybe you really can keep up.” She winked, before taking the lead on the next song. They switched who led each song for the rest of the night.  
  
    They ran back to the car once the ballroom closed, laughing like children. He hadn’t ever seen Natasha laugh as much as she did that night, and he was sure no one else had either. He made sure to commit that fact to memory, to lock it away where only he could see.  
  
    A glance at the dashboard clock told him that they had spent two hours in that dance hall, two hours that flew by in the blink of an eye. Natasha’s voice cut through his musings, though.  
  
    “Now _that_ was a nice first date,” Natasha said, pushing her hair out of her eyes, before pulling out of the parking lot.  
  
    Bucky was inclined to agree. It looked like they were on their way to something beautiful. And Bucky couldn’t wait for it to all come together.

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually really fun to write. The prompt that started it was '. On a date - definitely dinner, maybe dancing?'
> 
> There's a second chapter, based on one of the other prompts that I've got started and should be finished in the next few days.
> 
> I hope you guys like it!


End file.
